Will Heli-Yatra lead to Drone-Yatra for future elections?

The outcome of Bihar elections will determine some important numbers for BJP-led NDA government at the Center but when it comes to campaigning in Bihar, it is all about Heli-Yatras!

Earlier there used to be Padyatras, Rathyatras, and now there is HeliYatra but will it lead to Drone-Yatra’s! If Bihar’s political parties and their social engineering aren’t fancy enough, here comes air-campaigning in Bihar to win your attention. While the number game is getting important for BJP-led government for it has been unable to push key reforms in Parliament due to its minority in the Rajya Sabha, whose members are elected by state legislatures—it sure is a different campaign game this time around.

The interesting twists and turns and new alliances are not as interesting as the Bihar skies which keep ringing with claps of helicopters hired by various political parties for ferrying their leaders back and forth. BJP may have started the trend in hiring choppers but other parties were quick to follow.

Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) has hired choppers, while ally Lalu Yadav is campaigning in a chopper supporting his party RJD. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi also use helicopters for their campaign trails.

It will be interesting to see parties declare funds before the Election Commission after the polls (ending on 5th November). Helicopter rides are expensive and the operating costs per hour for these choppers can run bills into crores. As for now, the usual crowd-favorites include Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav. Maybe we can see in the very near future a drone-yatra dropping pamphlets, tapes with political messages and displaying banners etc.

When it comes to personalities though, there is hardly a difference between Padyatra, Rathyatra, HeliYatra or future DroneYatra— RJD’s Lalu Yadav seems to surprise pilots with his mid-air paan sessions and his reluctance to wear seat belts during a flight!

Is Bihar ready for mid-air showers to greet its political leaders making expensive trips? Share your thoughts with me.

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